Foreign Prince

In Ancien Régime France, prince was a rank, not an official title. Legally, only princes of the blood were recognized as princes, but the king could and did unofficially recognize "foreign" princes. This recognition had no legal basis, but was the cause of much controversy at court, since the people recognized as foreign princes often claimed equality or superiority in rank to the dukes and peers. This was further complicated by the fact that many foreign princes were also peers of France.